Wccftech's Reviews
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a competent remake featuring all the best features the series is known for, such as an engaging mystery and solid investigative gameplay. While the game is lacking in terms of innovation, doing away with the open-world setting seen in Chapter One, Frogwares developed Sherlock Holmes The Awakened it in less than a year and in the middle of a war, so no one should be disappointed that the game doesn't feel much different from past entries in the franchise.
At this point, I can say Meet Your Maker’s raids provided decent tooth-gritting satisfaction, and building my own Outpost deathtraps was simple, devious fun. I’m just not sure if Meet Your Maker’s building tools have the necessary versatility to give the game long-term legs, particularly when combined with limiting mechanics that make more elaborate Outposts a chore to complete. I hope to be surprised, but if the game can’t attract a dedicated community of talented creators, Meet Your Maker may find itself at the pearly gates before too long.
The Great War: Western Front is an interesting strategy game that delves into its setting for better and worse. Offering various strategic and tactical opportunities provides a lot for strategy game fans. However, the glacially slow pace will undeniably turn some people off, despite being very much due to the World War One setting. If there is one key issue, the AI is almost like a relic of previous games, seemingly not following the same rules as the player. Other issues with pathfinding also feature. However, despite these issues, I can't help but admit the game is compelling.
Ravenbound’s limited successes do not come from an abundance of new ideas, but combining or juxtaposing old ones. If Ravenbound was a full-price, triple-A game I’d be a lot less forgiving of its flaws. No matter the price, it’s still derivative, janky and in serious need of optimization and bug fixes. But at less than 30 bucks, it’s maybe worth a gamble for fans of open world RPGs and action roguelikes. Provided, that is, that they temper their expectations and can overlook the game’s sometimes messy mechanics and other shortcomings.
The makers of MLB The Show 23 clearly heard the complaints about a lack of fresh features in recent entries, as this year’s game offers up the new exciting and enlightening Storylines mode as well as significant tweaks and improvements to Franchise, March to October, and Diamond Dynasty. A lack of innovation when it comes to core gameplay keeps this year’s title from being a true home run, but it’s at least a strong double.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key has to be one of the most straightforward and beautiful RPGs in the series as a whole while also being way friendlier to new players than other installments in the series. This is a game that even non Atelier fans will be able to sink their teeth into easily while being able to fully customize their experience through the game's new Synthesis system and its Secret Key mechanic.
The new Resident Evil 4 is well worth it for fans of the series, just keep your hopes slightly in check and you won’t be spin-kicked by inflated expectations.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon’s restrained tone and quirky dual-character mechanics won’t immediately connect with everyone, but you owe it to yourself to give the game a chance. Bayonetta Origins eventually comes into its own in a big way, delivering escalating action, compelling character development, and expertly-executed fan-pleasing moments en route to a satisfying finale. This tale of friendship is the perfect companion for Bayonetta 3 and may even win over those who haven’t been bewitched by the franchise in the past.
WWE 2K23 is the best entry this long-suffering franchise has put out in nearly a decade, offering mechanically-sound action, a pair of satisfying MyRise career mode storylines, and a handful of other well-executed, if limited, additions like WarGames. WWE 2K23’s gameplay and presentation could still use some further polish and not all of its modes are must plays, but for the first time in a long time it feels like this series’ star is on the rise, even if it hasn’t achieved main-event status yet.
With its engaging story, charming cast of characters, and solid RPG mechanics, Mato Anomalies is a game that all role-playing game fans will enjoy, especially fans of the Persona series, by which the game is greatly influenced. Lack of innovation, dull turn-based combat and a wonky English localization impact the experience, but not enough to make it unworthy of a look from fans of the genre.
With its Three Kingdoms setting, fast-paced combat centered on the Deflection mechanics, improved level design, and renewed focus on action gameplay mechanics, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is another solid action role-playing game by Team NINJA that all fans of the genre will enjoy. While the complex RPG mechanics and loot system of the Nioh games have been toned down for a much more accessible experience for newcomers, they also make the game easier than most of the studio's previous games, something that will undoubtedly disappoint those looking for a real challenge on their first playthrough.
Scars Above offers a great shooter experience that's a bit rough around the edges in some areas when it comes to realizing its vision and potential. While these problems are noticeable, I don't feel like it takes too much from the full product while offering a haunting survival horror experience with a unique gimmick that makes players think about the best approach to the way they face the environment around the enemies.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is one of Nintendo’s more expansive “Deluxe” Switch repackaging efforts, offering a slick visual makeover and a slate of new content. That said, all the additions don’t really raise Kirby’s Return to Dream Land above its status as a fun yet somewhat unremarkable game from one of the pink guy’s less ambitious eras. There’s plenty of charm on display here and younger players are likely to enjoy themselves, but this wisp of a game can only be puffed up so much.
Company of Heroes 3 is a triumphant return to the game that raised the bar for Real-Time Strategy. With unparalleled action on the battlefield, that alone makes it work your while. The new grand-strategy campaign is a welcome addition, though it has some flaws, ranging from performance issues and bugs to simply being too easy. Despite this, it's impossible not to recommend Company of Heroes 3 for the excellent game that it is.
I'm not quite ready to rate Atomic Heart, having only had access to it for a handful of days, but what I've played so far points to a very well-made game that falls just one or two notches short of true greatness. Still, it's a must for any shooter fan, and it's one of the most optimized games I've seen in a long time, a breath of fresh air given certain disasters released in the past few months.
Octopath Traveler II plays it safe when it comes to its core gameplay, offering a handful of small positive tweaks that don’t entirely make up for returning problems like clumsy party management and battles that take too long to wrap up. Thankfully, the game also takes a big, confident step forward in terms of writing, offering a cast of well-wrought, interesting characters and a vividly-detailed world you won’t soon forget. Octopath Traveler II may have the same old engine under the hood, but the road trip it takes you on is well worth experiencing.
Kazuma Kiryu's lineage is ever present even as the streets of Kamurocho are swapped for the well-traveled streets of Kyo at a time when American influence was only starting to reach Japan. Despite being a period piece set during the tumultuous Bakumatsu period, Like a Dragon: Ishin! still feels like that classic Yakuza JRPG that fans already know and love.
Wild Hearts couldn't have been a better start for a new IP. While the experience shares more than a few similarities with that of the Monster Hunter series, the unique monster design, the great weapon variety and the Karakuri crafting mechanics give the game a unique flavor that makes it stand out easily among similar games. Performance issues, sadly, impact the experience considerably on all formats, preventing it from reaching greater heights, but even in its current state, the game is a more than worthy purchase for fans of the genre.
Wanted: Dead feels like a callback to the worst games of the Xbox/PS2 era. The game has a distinct lack of polish when it comes to its enemy design, and, combined with the horrid voice acting and confusing storyline that's only explained through supplementary material, it feels like the ultimate case of wasted potential that could've become something better had the developers put a bit more thought into it.
While Freelancer Mode introduces a lot of new elements to the table, it also brings a myriad of bugs and issues that can take away from the overall experience. The freelancer mode is by no means bad, but it definitely has issues executing its concept due to its flawed RNG and mechanics.